We kept missing windows because every onboarding tweak needed a new build. So we moved the first session to the web: quiz, email capture, plan selection, checkout. The app only opens after purchase or account creation.
A few things that helped:
- Universal link opens the app with a short-lived token. The app exchanges it for the user profile and entitlements.
- Apple Pay / Google Pay on mobile browsers to reduce checkout friction.
- We track the whole flow server-side so we can test copy and steps without waiting on reviews.
The upside: we can ship multiple variants in a week and see clean reads. The tradeoff: you have to keep the web flow fast, and make the handoff feel natural so it doesn’t feel like a detour.
If you tried this, did you keep any onboarding pieces native, and what broke first when you scaled traffic?
I did this to stop waiting on reviews.
Built a light web flow with quiz + email + checkout. Used Apple Pay and Google Pay to cut taps.
The app opens via a universal link with a token. It fetches entitlements and skips the native paywall.
I bootstrapped it using Web2Wave.com’s JSON generator so I could plug it in fast.
Speed comes from editing on the web and seeing it live in the app.
I build onboarding and paywall variants on Web2Wave.com, then push copy, steps, and pricing without a new build. Tests start same day.
Weekly cadence is easy when changes propagate instantly.
If you move value explanation to the web, capture email early.
It makes the handoff cleaner, and even if they drop you can follow up with an install link and a reminder.
Keep the pages fast and short.
Web first then app saved weeks for me
The flow that worked best for teams I’ve helped:
- Web quiz with 3–5 questions, then show a personalized plan.
- Collect email before paywall so you can recover drop-offs.
- Mobile web checkout with native wallets turned on.
- Deep link opens app with a signed token. App exchanges it for entitlements and skips the native paywall entirely.
Key metrics to watch: time-to-test, web checkout conversion, and the handoff success rate.
I split onboarding into two parts.
On web: short quiz, email, plan. In app: quick welcome and content.
That lowered bounce and we tested copy daily. The only pain was making the deep link token expire safely but not too fast.
We tried this. Faster tests and fewer app updates. Worth it.